Russia Nabs Five Islamic State Suspects Plotting Terror Attack

BANGKOK – Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) says it has arrested five suspects linked to the Islamic State who were in the midst of preparing a terrorist attack in the country’s southern district of Volgograd.

“Ammunition, explosives as well as other chemical compounds and striking elements for improvised explosive devices, literature of religious and extremist nature were found and seized at their place of residence,” reads an FSB statement concerning the arrests of the suspects.

Five perpetrators were detained by the FSB, with assistance of the local police, in the town of Pallasovsk, Volgograd Region, the security agency said.

The detained were members of the so-called ‘Pallasovsky Jamaat’ group, which “was involved in recruitment… of residents of the region to participate in activities of Islamic State [IS, formerly ISIS] international terrorist organization,” the FSB added.

According to the agency, one of the members of the group “planned to stage a terror attack in the [Volgograd] region.”

Last month, Breitbart Jerusalemreported on information gleaned from interrogations of hundreds of militants who were arrested in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey and Europe indicating a specific threat to Russia.

An Arab intelligence official further told Breitbart Jerusalem at the time saying IS’ “Chechen division” is making intensive efforts to strike in Russia.

“The information that we have collected tells us that the organization is bent on carrying out a massive attack in Russia. Many of the detainees said they are aware of Chechen jihadis who trained in Syria and Iraq in preparation for striking Russia. We have also intercepted coded messages on social media that could be orders from HQ to the operatives on the ground.”

“IS tries equally hard to carry out an attack in the United States,” he added, “but it would require greater efforts than in Europe. But it has proved to be a cynical and murderous organization that can very well operate under the radar.”